There has been an increase in Singapore employees promoting ' parental leave' or 'maternity leave' in their job descriptions.

According to recent data from Indeed, a hiring platform, shows that 1.7% of Singapore job postings on Indeed mentioned 'parental leave' or 'maternity leave' in their job descriptions during the first half of 2024.

Parental leave policies are most commonly highlighted in job postings for childcare (4.0%), human resources (4.0%), and sales (3.5%). Over the past two years, the strongest growth in such mentions was seen in civil engineering (+2.2 percentage points), veterinary (+2.0 percentage points), logistics support (+1.8 percentage points), and pharmacy (+1.8 percentage points).

“Shifts in attitudes towards workplace flexibility, gender equality, and work-life balance have no doubt played a role in this increase,” said Callam Pickering, APAC Senior Economist at Indeed. “Strong competition for talent may also be a contributing factor, with benefits often used to stand out against peers. Interestingly, while childcare is the sector where parental leave is most commonly mentioned, it also experienced the largest decline over the past two years (-3.4 percentage points).”

Mixed growth in job postings across occupations

Job postings in nearly 30% of occupational categories increased over the past three months, led by strong gains in architecture (+15.7%), retail (+14.1%), and medical technician roles (+13.0%). Other solid performers included sports (+11.7%) and construction (+11.5%).

Conversely, postings declined significantly in areas such as dental (-34.6%), security & public safety (-32.9%), mathematics (-26.8%), and software development (-26.8%). The tech sector, in general, continues to underperform.

Singapore job postings on Indeed fell by 5.7% compared to a month ago, marking the largest monthly decline since March last year. Job postings are now 13.4% lower than a year ago but remain 52% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Despite the sizable decline in national postings, job postings in almost every sector remain above their pre-pandemic baseline, with one-quarter of sectors more than double pre-pandemic levels. This indicates ongoing and broad-based strength across the Singapore job market, supporting employment, maintaining low unemployment, and helping households manage cost-of-living pressures and other economic challenges.

Pickering added, “While job postings fell in June and were lower over the year, Singapore’s job market is proving resilient in a challenging economic environment. Overall, unemployment in Singapore remains low, and skill shortages are common. Recruitment is perhaps easier than a year ago but remains challenging by historical standards.”